Hello all,
Took the crf out for its first off road jaunt a few days ago with a friend. Weather was cold and dry but the trails were wet and slimy. It quickly showed up the fact that the GP21-22 stock tyres are essentially useless in this type of terrain. I was hoping to be able to get by by riding slowly but the front was a mess and I could barely manage double figures in places.
Now it does get sunny here in the UK from time to time but the trails round here are always damp and muddy, occasionally become drier packed dirt and sometimes sandy in places. My KTM 400 had Michelin Enduro Mediums on it which were lively but perfectly usable on the road and excellent on the trails. These seemed like overkill on the CRF and anyway didnt come in the right size for the rear. Although I would say mileage wise Im probably 50/50 with the dirt I am quite happy to compromise on road manners for better off road ability. The local roads are all single track and I ride with a group on 125s so we are rarely above 40mph on the road anyway.
After a little bit of research on all the normal avenues (MT21s and the like, remember, you cant get D606s here) Ive decided to go for a Metzeler MC360 mid soft on the front, with possibly a mid hard on the rear if needed (the front on the stock tyres were so all over the place I have no idea if the back is suitable).
Ill let you know how I get on.
Oh I put some short levers I got off ebay on too which are much better than the standard ones.
John